Cam Lee Small Gives TEDx Talk
How many of us have thought critically about adoption and how the lived experiences of those adopted into different cultural backgrounds differ from our own?
In his TEDx talk, UW–Madison alum Cam Lee Small ’12, MS’16 explores how understanding the unique emotional and societal impacts of adoption can empower adoptees to reclaim their narratives, heal, and ultimately improve their outcomes. He invites the audience to become part of the “village” that supports adoptees by fostering spaces where their stories can be voiced, validated, and mobilized. Cam shares his concept of “adoption literacy,” researched and developed through his experiences as a licensed clinical counselor and transracial international adoptee, and how we can use four key relational cues to be part of the positive change for adopted children and adults alike. Cam Lee Small, author, clinician in private practice, and dynamic advocate for mental health and adoption literacy, brings lived experience and professional insight to the forefront of his work. Building from his personal journey as a Korean American adoptee navigating reunion with his birth family and heritage, Cam shares practical strategies to lift our relationships and our culture as a whole into new potentials and breakthroughs. His work synthesizes personal testimonies with decades of research in a way that brings new life to intimate histories, living origins, and untapped possibilities, both locally and worldwide.
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